IGG officials raid trade union office
An IGG officer examines documents at COFTU office in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, on Thursday. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA
KAMPALA.
The Inspectorate of Government officials have raided Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (COFTU) office in Ntinda, Kampala, looking for documents vital in an investigation against the organisation.
Principal inspector officer Reuben Bainomujuni on Thursday led the probe team to search COFTU premises that were surrounded by police.
“We were looking for some documents for investigations. I can’t tell you what documents and issues at hand but the fact of the matter of which they (COFTU) know are under investigation,” the Inspectorate of Government spokesperson, Ms Ali Munira, told Sunday Monitor on Thursday.
The entrance to the COFTU offices was blocked by two police and Inspectorate of Government pick-up trucks as the detectives searched one room to the other. IGG senior inspectorate officer Sheila Apolot and inspectorate officer Jennifer Katusiime were part of the team.
Condemnation
COFTU deputy secretary general Aggrey Sanya described the move as an illegal attack on the trade union movement in Uganda.
“The search is against the independence, solidarity and democracy principles of labour unions. Well as we are not against the search, there should be proper channels and specifics of what they want other than coming in and asking all types of questions. We have cooperated but we are going to protest the manner in which it has been done,” said Mr Sanya.
“They produced a search warrant issued on October 13, 2014 signed by Deputy IGG, Ms Mariam Wangadya. I asked them why they had to wait all this long to execute the search warrant. I was told it doesn’t matter,” he added.
The COFTU chairman general, Mr Richard Bigirwa, said the search was politically motivated.
“We are not scared because this is politically motivated. And in any case, if the IGG wanted any document, it should have got it from Ministry of Labour. According to the Trade Unions Act, trade unions are supposed to be independent. We are petitioning Minister of Labour and the International Labour Union,” Mr Bigirwa added.
